I wanted to commend you on the excellent magazine you put out. I started to receive the AMA magazine in June of this year, and on the front cover, you included a motorcycle that I used to have.

I’ve been riding since I was 18 years of age. I started with a Cushman two-speed scooter. I’ve been riding ever since.

Every issue I receive, I read it from cover to cover. Keep up the fantastic work.

Edward Rosera | Woodburn, Ore.

Together We Stand

Rob Dingman’s editorial and the accompanying article regarding the treatment of motorcyclists in NYC hit home for me. As an AMA member for over 20 years, membership in the organization is more important than ever for motorcyclists.

Motorcycle sales are less than stellar, which means fewer of us on the road and trails. This equates to less participation in transportation rulemaking for individual motorcyclists. Worse, some benefits of motorcycling, such as less pollution, reducing traffic congestion, etc., have faded in popularity with environment and political types. The environmental lobby seeks the end of the internal combustion engine in all vehicles, and that motorcycles cause less traffic congestion is getting lost in the discussion of alleged benefits from autonomous vehicles.

The issues surrounding illegal riders on public roads in NYC are not uncommon, we have the same problem in Boston, Providence, etc. The police make a major spectacle of crushing and destroying motorcycles and ATVs used illegally on public roads, the local media makes an event of it and the image of motorcycling takes yet another hit. Suggesting that riders of ATVs and dirt bikes need a place to ride falls on deaf ears. After all, it’s easier to destroy a few bikes and give the public the impression that you are solving a problem rather than actually finding a long-term solution.

When you look at all these obstacles being placed in motorcycling’s future, it’s important to have an advocate, someone or some people, who will stand up for our rights, keep riding areas open and help prevent the abuse of law-abiding motorcyclists. As far as I can see, the AMA is the only choice to keep us strong and our rights intact.

Dennis J. Bell | Rehoboth, Maine

Grassroots Action Needed

“Singled Out” (October) sparked my concern and utter disappointment. As a commuting, touring and lifestyle motorcyclist, I would be outraged too if this occurred in my hometown.

As a NYC native living in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island long ago, I was fortunate to take comfort living in a metropolis where I felt protected and supported by a community engagement style of law enforcement.

Many years later, I now enjoy those very things as a Oregonian, but I see that this does not continue for many motorcyclists living in a city that has benefited from the energy of these motorcyclists. This is especially concerning as motorcycle culture in places like Portland, Austin and NYC has fueled and driven a new wave of art, fashion, business entrepreneurship and a DIY resourcefulness that older generations valued.

Many American motorcyclists associate their lifestyles and machines with a treasured liberty, free expression and recreation as the reward of hard work. Motorcycles in this regard are symbols of these values, so when police and judicial authorities target our community with micro management and checkpoints or fail to provide justice, the rationale of supporting public safety is not believed.

Unfair treatment toward our motorcycle community in NYC should be alarming and disturbing to us all, even for those of us who live in places that embrace responsible riders and the benefits we bring to the civic table.

Grassroots action and voting helps, but it is best done when connected to an organized power base. Quite simply, this situation is another good reason to be an AMA member and take influencing action no matter where you reside.

Wolf Agotta | Medford, Ore.

Big Apple Blues

“Singled Out” (October) was a great awareness article. It’s real, and you can feel it happening everywhere with subtlety. I loved the quote by the dude who doesn’t understand the harassment because two wheels are actually a solution to the very issues they are trying to hold motorcycles accountable for!

Fred Astaire | Tucker, Ga.

More On Portsmouth

I would like to make some additions to your August article about the Portsmouth Motorcycle Club.

Yes, we recently celebrated our 125th year of existence, having been organized in 1883 as the Portsmouth Cycling Club. The PCC was incorporated on Feb. 11, 1897. These dates were obtained from a newspaper article from July 1897. The article included a photo of the PCC members on a steamboat cruise on the Ohio River. You had to play a musical instrument to be a member. They entertained all over town for civic functions. They also had bicycle races.

Ohio’s Secretary of State Jon Husted recognized our 125 years of existence by issuing a Gold Seal Certificate of Commendation. The Secretary of State’s records confirm that the PCC/PMC has been in good standing with their office since 1897.

We are the oldest club in America that can prove how long it has been in existence.

We make no claim to be the oldest motorcycle club, as we have no record of when we swapped bicycles for motorcycles. Your article says in 1913, but that is the earliest date we have proof of it via a photo of the club with that date inscribed in the ancient photo. We were riding motorcycles long before that, but have no actual date.

The Portsmouth Motorcycle Club is represented on the famous Portsmouth Murals Wall, with a painted banner stating “Nation’s Oldest Cycling Club, Established 1893” at the top of the mural.

William B. Secrest | South Shore, Ky.

AMA Charter Life Member